Owners: Originally built for Henry Gust a fisherman from Jones Island.

Service History

The wooden steam screw powered fish tug Henry Gust was built in 1893 at the Milwaukee Shipyard Company (soon to merge with Wolf & Davidson to become the Milwaukee Drydock Company). Her official number was 96236.

1918: John and Frank Monka purchased the Henry Gust and had it rebuilt at the Sturgeon Bay Shipyards and used the tug for fishing for the next eleven years.

1929: After a fatal boiler accident (not on the Henry Gust, all vessels over 70 feet were required to be inspected and have a licensed engineer on board. Since the Henry Gust couldn't meet the federal guidelines and couldn't afford either rebuilding her to pass inspection or to hire an engineer, the Captain had her shortened by ten feet (she then was 65 feet long) to avoid hiring an engineer.

1935: Plagued by leaks and increasing costs, the Henry Gust was tied up to the dock and fishing was discontinued. The vessel was sold to the Alfred Muchin Company who salvaged some of the metal off the vessel. More leaks developed and to prevent her from sinking at the dock she needed constant pumping.

Final Voyage

Later in her life the Henry Gust was becoming expensive to operate and maintain so in 1935 she was stripped of her copper and brass by the Alfred Muchin Company, the last owner of the vessel. While sitting at dock, she was leaking badly and difficult to keep pumped out and becoming a hazard, so in August she was towed out into Lake Michigan and set on fire, but that did not work. Finally, the Two Rivers Coast Guard purposely ramed her which caused her to sink.

Today

The vessel, Henry Gust, lies in 80 feet of water, partially intact hull with her machinery, boilers and propeller present.